How To Make Your Tacoma A TRD Pro Clone
The base Toyota Tacoma has many awesome characteristics: Reliable. Durable. Utilitarian. But if you want to turn your standard Tacoma into a TRD Pro clone – and upgrade its off-road ability – here’s what it takes.
What’s In The TRD Pro Package?
Toyota designed the TRD Pro Tacoma to be an honest-to-goodness off-roader animal, but without sacrificing much in the way of ride quality, handling, or reliability. On the original truck:
- Toyota went with a slight lift (about 2 inches), but did so with new front and rear springs that also feature increased travel. Shocks were tuned to match the new springs.
- A set of 16″ beadlock style TRD rims with BFGoodrich LT265/70R16 A/T tires
- A TRD exhaust
- Unique styling
The heart and soul of this upgrade is the suspension system. While most after-market lift kits involve a compromise of some kind, the TRD suspension kit offers:
- More lift AND more travel – many after-market lift kits reduce travel
- Nearly identical suspension geometry, which means no worrying about premature CV joint wear or damage to key components while off-roading
- Near-stock ride and handling
Build Your Own TRD Pro (Mostly)
Assuming you’ve got a 2015 Tacoma Double Cab 4×4, here are the parts you need to make your truck into a TRD Pro (and our discounted price for each item):
Part | Specs | Part # | MSRP | Our Price |
Wheel & Tire Package | 16″ Black Beadlock Style TRD Wheels & BFGoodrich All Terrain KO | PT746-35150 | $699 | $615.25 (per wheel) |
Exhaust | Stainless Steel, Catback Exhaust Design with TRD Logo-Etched Tip | PTR31-35131 | $495 | $371.25 |
Suspension Kit | 2.5″ Front Shocks and 2.0″ Rears with Remote (Piggyback) Reservoirs, Zinc Finish with Multi-Layer Coating for Extreme Surface Durability & TRD Tuned Eibach Coilsprings with Custom Rates | PTR13-35150 | $1,799 | $1,608.85 |
Exterior | TRD Grille that shows “TOYOTA” instead of emblem | PTR54-35150 | $499 | $374.25 |
Drivetrain | TRD Quickshifter | PTR04-35052 | $349 | $261.75 |
Interior | TRD Shift Knob (slightly different from TRD Pro knob) | PTR51-00110 | $80 | $60 |
While there are some minor styling differences that you can’t really order online:
- A black “TRD PRO” external hard badge
- Black “TACOMA” badging on doors
The “guts” of the TRD Pro package can be added to any Tacoma for $5,137.10. Considering that a new 2015 TRD Pro packaged truck had an MSRP of $35,525 (at the very least), building your own TRD Pro Taco is a decent value.
Not to mention, wheels and tires are half the cost of the package. If you’ve already got a good set of wheels, a tire upgrade is all you need.